Typewriting machine



July 14, 1925.

A. G. F. KUROWSKI TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed May 19. 1922 5 Kings, city and State of New York, have in- July 1925. V 1,546,137 tlh-HTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED G. F. KUBOWSKI, OF BROOKLYN, NEKV YORK, ASSIGNOR. T UNDERVJOOD TYPEVIR-ITER- COMPANY, OF NEW? YUBK, N. Y A CQRPOBATIQN OF DELAWARE.

TYIPEVVRITING MACHINE.

Application filed May 19, 1922. Serial No. 562,057.

finger-piece may be in the form of a bail providing an erasing shield above the platen. i Other features of the invention residein the means for detachably mounting the device upon the platen frame, and in the construction of the bracket-forming framework of the device.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a front elevation, with parts broken away, of the upper part of an Underwood standard typewriting machine,

having the device embodying the present invention installed thereon and holding a card against the platen Figure 2 is a front-to-rear vertical section, partly diagrammatic, of what is shown in Figure 1, as viewed from the right.

Figure 3 is a similar view, with the cardholding roller swung away from the platen to its inefiective position, for inserting a work-piece.

Figure 4: is a partial plan view of the lower part of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a disassembled perspective View of parts of the device or attachment shown at the left in Figure 1, and also appearing in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an end elevation as seen from the right in Figure 1., showing the lost-mm tion connection between the bail-arms of the erasing shield and the pivoted roller-carrymg arms.

In the Underwood standard typewriting To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ALFRED G. F. KURoW-. SKI, a citizen ofthe United States, residing in Brooklyn Borough, in the county of vented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to front-strike typewriting machines, and particularly to devices for holding comparatively stiff cards or other work-pieces against the platen above the printing line.

An object of the invention is to produce an eifective and inexpensive device which is readily attachable to the machine, par ticularly to an Underwood standard typewriting machine.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device which will be effective to press the work-piece evenly throughout its width against the platen, irrespective of slight inaccuracies in manufacture; that is to say, a device which will automatically adjust itself to slight irregularities of manufacture. v

The invention comprises a roller extending along the front of the platen above the r printing line and journaled at its ends on the lower ends of depending swinging arms,

the upper ends of which are independently pivoted so as to enable said roller automatically to adjust itself to the surface of the v platen, the opposite ends of said roller being independently spring-pressed towards the platen to hold a work-piece throughout its width against the platen. The upper ends of said roller-carrying arms may be pivoted upon brackets forming parts of a' frame which may be detachably mounted on the platen-frame. Said arms may each have a spring connected thereto in such manner as to act either at one side or at the other side of the pivot so as to press the roller against the work-piece on the platen or to hold it away from the platen. The invention further comprises a finger-piece for swinging the roller away from the platen r and having a lost-motion connection with both of said roller-carrying arms, so as to limit the relative or independent swinging movement of said arms, and so as to permit the self-adjustment of the roller to the the front of the platen parallel therewith platen, by said springs acting independently above the printing line, and is shown in upon saidharms, More particularly, said Figures land pressing against the,

accompanying drawings, a revoluble platen 1 has an axle 2 journaled in'end walls 3 of a usual shiftable platen-frame forming part of a traveling carriage, the remaining parts of which are not shown. The end walls 3 of the platen-frame are connected by a rear paper-table 4, which is shown as extended beneath the platen to form a paperapron 5, and usual releasable front and rear feedrolls' 6 and 7 run upon the bottom of the platen. The platen-frame end walls 3, at the rear of and above the platen, are further connected together by means of a transverse rod 8, upon which are mounted usual paper-fingers 9 carrying small rolls 10.

A. solid metal feed-roller 11 extends along machine, parts of which are shown in the arms card 12, against the platernabove tllflivlil'lik i-ng line is provided at its ends with small pivots 17 to run in bearings 18 which are preferably of phosphor-bronze. The bearings '18 are carried by the-lower ends of swingable depending arms 19, provided at theirupperends with hubs 20, which are pivoted upon studs 21, which project inwardly from the forward ends of bracketing of the roller-carrying arms 19, these arms are permitted to swing independently or move pivotally relatively to each other sufficiently to enable the roller 11 to adjust itself throughout its length to the surface of the platemso thatit is enabled to come in contact with and press evenly upon the work-piece, such as the card 12, throughout the entire width of the work-piece.

The'brac'ket-arms 22' extend from front to rear above the platen just inwardly from the usual paper-fingers 9 when the latter are adjusted tothe ends of the platen, to be out of the way, as shown in Figure 1.

transverse bar 23 rigidly connected at its ends to the rear ends of the bracket-arms 22, so as to form therewith a frame, and in the construction shown in the drawings, the bracket-connecting bar 23' and bracketarms 22' are formed in one piece, of sheetmeta-1; The connecting bar 23: is bent in the direction of its width on a-curve sons to overlie and extend partly around" or embrace the pap'er f'mger rod 8, as is clearly shown in Figures '2 and 3. Adjacent the bucket-arms 22, the I connectingbar 23 is'widenedalong. its forward edge to form a: strengthening flange or rib 2 1 at the front of the paper-finger rod 8. The rear end of each bracket-arm 22 is'provided with a curved downwardly and forwardly projecting hook 25, which engages at the rear of the paper-fingerrod 8, and which is shown as separated from the adjacent rear edge of the connecting bar 23 by an intervening notch or slot 26. At their-forward ends, the bracket-arms 22 are provided at their lower'edges with comparatively long outwardly-projecting lugs or wings 27 each having a perforation 28 in the end thereof to receive a thumb-screw 29,

by means of which the lugs or wings 27 may be firmly but I detachably secured in place upon the top of the platen-frame ends a hecauseoftheindependent"pivot 22 adjacent the front thereof, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. By means of the screws 29 and the hooks 25, the entire device may be quickly attached to, and will be 'se curely heldin place upon, the usual platenframe.

For resiliently holding the roller 11 at effective position to press the work-piece, such as the card 12, against the platen, as shown in Figures 1 and2, or to hold the roller at ineffective position away from the platen, "as shown in Figure '3, 'a' retractile coiled spring 30 is provided for each roller-carrying arm 19. The spring 30 at its rear end is anchored to the bracket 22, near the rear end and adjacent the upper edge thereof, by means of a stud 31 projecting from the outer side of the bracket-arm, and at its front end the spring 30 is connected to a pin or stud 3-2 which *proj ects beyend the bracket-aria from the pivoted roller carrying arm 19 at a point below and forwardly from its pivot 21, in the effective position of the roller 11, as shown in Fgure 2,

so as to press the corresponding end of the roller 11 againstthe card or Work-piece 12. lVhen the roller 11 is swung forwardly and upwardly away frornthe platen to the ineffective position thereof, shown in Fig ure 3, the spring 30 will be moved upwardly at its forward end so asto' exert its pull along a line above the pivot 21 of the rollercarrying arm 19, thereby to hold the roller 11 away from the platen. Each bracketarm 22 is provided with a forwardly-projecting lug 38 with which the pin 32 for the spring 30 comes. into contact to. limit the forward and upward movement of'the roller-carrying arms 19 and roller 11. By reason of the independent pivoting of the roller-carrying arms 19 and the separate independently-acting springs 30 provided therefor, the springs 30 will be effective to adjust the roller 11 automatically to the surface "of the platen so as to press the worln piece or card 12 evenly against the platen throughout the width of the work-piece regardless of any slight irregularities or inaccuracies which may occur in the manu facture of the device. or attachment of the present invention or in the typewriting machine itself on which the ale-vice is installed.

A normally rearward'ly-inclined erasing shield 34; extends along the top or upper side'of the platen and serves as a fingerpi-ece to swing the roller 11 away from the platen against the tension of the springs 30.

For this purpose, the erasing shield 34 at its ends is provided with forwardly-extending arms 35 forming a bail, and the bailarms 35 have a lost-motion connection with the "roller carrying arms 19, so that the erasing shield 34. may serve as a fingerxix-1 piece for concomitantly moving these arms without dlsturbing the above-descrlbed selfadjusting of the roller 11 to the surface of the platen. Also the lost-motion connection of the bail-arms 35 to the roller-carrying arms 19 serves to'limit the relative swinging or rocking movement of the rollercarry mg arms.

In the construction shown in. the drawings, the forward end of each bail-arm 35 is provided with a circularly-rounded opening 36 from which leads a slot 37 in the lower edge of the bail-arm, so as to provide a downwardly and forwardly projecting upper lip 38 upon the end of the bail-arm. The opening 36 snugly receives the hub of the roller-carrying arm 19, and the slot 37 loosely receives a narrow rearwardly-turned portion or neck 39 formed on the upper end of the roller-carrying arm 19 adjacent the hub 20, so that the bail-arm and the rollercarrying arm 19 are brought flush with or into alignment with each other, with the lip 33 overlying the upper end of the rollercarrying arm 19 to limit the relative upward or outward pivotal movement of the bailarm 35 and the roller-carrying arm 19. In order to limit the relative pivotal movement of the bail-arm 35 and rollercarrying arm 19 in the other direction, the roller-carrying arm 19 is provided with a rearwa-rdly and upwardly projecting branch-arm 40, having at its upper end an out-turned lug 41 to abut against a similar lug 42 on the lower edge of the bail-arm 35 adjacent the erasing shield 34, the branch-arm being sufficiently short to provide a small amount of lost motion of the roller-carrying arm 19 between the lip 38 and the lug 42 of thebail-arm 35, as shown in Figures 2 and G of the drawings; in Figure 6 the lost motion being shown as slightly exaggerated, for clearuess of illustration.

Then the device is not mounted upon the typewriting machine, the out-turned lugs 42 on the bail-arms 35 will come int-o contact with the lower edges of the bracketauns 22 and thus will serve to prevent the roller 11 being swung rearwardly by the springs 30 to an inconvenient position for the mounting of the device upon the machine, but, when the device is installed upon the machine with the roller 11 pressed against the platen, lugs 42 of the bail-arms 35 Will be spaced downwardly from the lower edges of the bracket-arms 22, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, and the lugs 42 will rest lightly upon one or both of the lugs 41 of the rollercariying arms 19, merely by reason of the weight of the erasing shield 34. Downward pressure of the fingers upon the upper edge of the erasing shield 34 will swing the roller 11 from the effective position thereof shown in Figure 2, to the ineffective position thereofyshown in Figure 3. The roller 11 may be returned to its effective position either by lifting the rear edge of the erasing shield 34 or by depressing the roller 11. The pivotal lost motion provided between each of the roller-carrying arms 19 and its corresponding bail-arm 35 enables the springs 30 to press the the opposite ends of the roller 11 in the drawings, a sheet metal guide-plate 43 partly surrounds the printing point at the front of the platen, having a slot 44 through which the types'13 and 16 may strike, and sight-openings 45, and being provided with small rearwardly-indented projections 46 to contact with the work-piece. The guideplate 43 has flaring wings 47 to prevent the catching of the edges of the work-piece, such as the card 12, upon the guide-plate should the carriage lie-moved sufficiently to carry one of these edges beyond the guide-plate. Also the lateral wings 47 serve to hold the usual wing-scales 43 away from the platen to prevent the lower edge of the work-piece catching upon the upper edge of the wing scales when the platen is shifted in writing a line adjacent to thelower edge of the work-piece, as is illustrated in Figure 1. The guide-plate 43 is shown asmounted upon the usual type-bar segment 49 by means of pins or wires 50 extending down from the guide-plate and removably entering holes or sockets provided in the usual type-bar segment 49. Obviously, guiding other than the particular guide plate 43 could be provided adjacent to the printing point for holding the lower edge of the work-piece. A usual type-guide 51 is mounted upon the segment 49 and projects upwardly at the front of the guide-plate 43.

The work-pieces to be typed upon may be inserted at the rear of the platen over the usual rear paper-table 4 and paper-apron 5, and may be line-spaced in the usual way by the usual feed-rolls 6 and assisted by the upper front pressure-roller 11. After the lower or bottom edge of the work-piece has passed beyond the front feed-roll 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pressure-roller 11 alone will be effective for line-spacing. To insert work-piece in the machine, the upper front pressure-roller 11 is thrown to the position thereof shown in Figure 3, so that the leading edge of the work-piece means i vfreely pass, upwardly at the-rear out this roller, as; is shown in Figure 3, by the card 1 The roller 11 may then be clamped down upon the work-pieceto hold it against the platen above the printing line, as is shown in Figures 1 and 2. In case typing is toliegin adjacent to the lower edge of the vork-piece, it desired, the work-piece may be inserted the front ot the platen downwardly at the r r of the roller 1 1 in the cast-otl' position the latter, shown in Figure 3, i l of ire-in the rear of the platen.

Variations, may be resorted to within the scope or the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

laying described my invention, I claim:

1. In a tront-strike type-writing machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a platen-trame in which the platen is journaled, of a device for holding a card or other work-piece to the platen, comprising a roller extending along the front ot the platen above the printing line to press the work-piece against the platen, swinging arms on which the ends of said roller are j'ournaled, said arms being independently pivotally mounted onthe platen-frame, so that said roller may automatically adjust itself to the surfaceof the platen, i or each said arm arspring acting independently upon said arm to press the corresponding end of said roller against the work-piece on the platento hold it firmly throughout its width against the platen above the printing line, and a rigid finger-piece for swinging said roller away from the platen, said fingerpiece forminga cr0sspiece having a loose connection to each of said arms so as to permit said springs to act independently automatically to adjust said roller to the platen. 1

2. In a front-strike typewriting',machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a platen-frame in which the platen is journaled, of a device for holding a card or other work-piece to the platen, comprising a roller extending along the front of the platen above the printing line to press the work-piece against the platen, swinging arms on which the ends of said roller are journals-d, said arms being independently pivotally mounted on the platen-frame, so

that said roller may automatically adjust itself to the surface of: the platen, for each said arm a spring actin independently upon said arm to press the corresponding end of said roller against the work-piece on the platen to hold it firmly throughout its width a ainst the platen above the printing line, and an erasing shield extending along the top of the platen and at its ends provided with arms forming a bail, said bail-arms having a lost-motion connection with the roller-carrying arms to enable each of said springs to act independently to ad ust said roller to the platen antomatically, said erasing shield forming; a fingerpiece tor swinging-said roller away irom the platen;

3'. In a tront-stri-ke typewriting machine, the combination with. a revoluble platen and a pl'atendrame in which the platen is journaled, ofia detachable device r'or holding a card or other work-piece to the platen, comprising a roller extending along the front of the platen above the printing line to press the, work-piece against the platen, swingin arn'is on which the ends of said roller are journaled, for each said rollercarrying arm a bracket on which said arm is independently pivotally mounted, so that said roller may adjust itself automatically to thesurface of tie platen, means for firmly detachably mounting said brackets on the platen-frame, a spring acting between each bracket and the corresponding roller-carryi-ng arm for independently pressing the opposite ends of said roller against the-workpiece on the platen to hold it firmly throughout its width against the platen above the printing line,- and a rigidfinger-piece tor swinging said roller away from the platen, said finger-piece forming a cross-piece having a loose connection to each of said rollercarrying arms to permit said springs to act independently for automatically adjusting said roller to the platen,

4:. In a "front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a platen-frame in which the platen is journaled, of a detachable device for holding a card or other work-piece to the platen, comprising a roller extending along the front of the platen above the printing line to press the work-piece against the platen, swinging arms on which the ends of said roller-are journaled, for each said rollercarrying arm a bracket on which said arm is independently pivotally mounted, so that said, roller may adjust itself automatically to the surface of the platen, means for firmly detachably mounting said brackets on the platen-frame, a spring acting between each bracket and the corresponding rollercarrying arm for independently pressing the opposite e-IICl'SOf said roller against the vwork-piece on the platen to hold it firmly throughout its width against the platen above the printing; line, and an erasing shield extending along the top 01": the platen and at its ends provided with arms forming abail, said-bail-arms having a lost-motion connection with said rollerscarrying'arms to enable each of said springs to act independently to adjust said roller to the platen automatically, said erasing shield forming a finger-piece "tor swinging said roller away from the platen.

5. In afront-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and aplaten-trame in which the platen isjournaled, of a. device for holding a card or other work-piece to the platen, comprising a roller extending along the front of the platen above the printing line to press the work-piece against the platen, a bracket mounted on the platen-frame at each end of said roller, swinging arms pivoted at their upper ends upon said brackets and on the lower ends of which the ends of said roller are journaled, a spring acting between each bracket and the corresponding roller-carrying arm for independently pressing the opposite ends of said roll-er against the work piece on the platen to hold it firmly throughout its width against the platen above the printing line, and an erasing shield extending along the top of the platen and at its ends provided with arms forming a bail, said bail-arms being in alignment with said roller-carrying arms and having a coincident pivotal lost-motion connection therewith to enable each of said springs to act independently to adjust said roller to the platen automatically, said erasing shield forming a finger-piece for-swinging said roller away from the platen.

6. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a platen-frame having ends in which the platen is journaled and including a rod connecting together the platen ends of the platen-frame at the rear of and above the platen, of a detachable device for holding a card or other work-piece to the platen comprising a frame including bracket-arms and a transverse bar rigidly connected at its ends to the bracket-arms, said bracketarms at their rear ends being provided with hooks to engage said rod of the platenframe, means for detachably securing the forward ends of said bracket-arms to the ends of the platen-frame, a roller extending along the front of the platen above the printing line to press the work-piece against the platen, depending arms on the lower ends of which the ends of said roller are journaled, said roller-carrying arms being independently pivoted at their upper ends upon the forward ends of said bracket-arms a platen-frame having ends in which the,

platen is journaled and including a rod connecting together the ends of the platenframe above and to the rear of the platen, of a detachable device for holding a card or other work-piece to the platen, comprising a frame including bracket-arms extending from front to rear above the platen and a transverse bar overlying and partly surrounding said rod of the platen-frame, the ends of said bar being rigidly connected to the rear ends of said bracket-arms, said bracket-arms at their rear ends having hooks to engage over said rod of the platenframe, means for detachably securing the forward ends of said bracket-arms to the ends of the platen-frame, epending rollercarrying arms pivoted at their upper ends to the forward ends of said bracket-arms, a roller journaled at its ends on the lower ends ofsaid depending arms and extending along the front of the platen above the printing line to press the work-piece against the platen, and spring means to press said roller against the workpiece on the platen.

8. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a platen-frame in which the platen is journaled, of a device, which may be detachably mounted, for holding a card or other workpiece to the platen, comprising a roller extending along the front of the platen above the printing line to press the work-piece against the platen, swinging armsin which the ends of said roller are journaled, brackets mounted on the platen-frame and to which said arms are pivoted to enable said roller to be swung to or from the platen, spring means for resiliently pressing said roller against the work-piece on the platen to hold it at the typing position, and an erasing shield extending along the top of the platen and at its ends provided with arms forming a bail, said bail-arms having a connection with said roller-carrying arms so that said erasing shield may serve as a finger-piece for swinging said roller away from the platen.

9. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a platenframe having ends in which the platen is journaled, a paper-finger rod extending between the ends of the platen-frame above and to the rear of the platen, and paper-fingers mounted on said rod to be adjustable along the platen, of a detachable device for holding a card or other workpiece to the platen between and independently ofthe paper-fingers, said device comprising a frame including bracket-arms extending from front to rear above the platen inwardly from the paper-fingers when the latter are adjusted adjacent the ends of the platen, a transverse bar rigidly connected at its ends to the bracket-arms to form a part of said frame, said bracket-arms at their rear ends being provided with hooks to engage over said paper-finger rod, outwardly-projecting wings on the forward ends of said bracket-arms: extending above and outwardly beyond the paper-fingers to the adjacent end of the platen-frame, means for ingemnspiv'etedettheiiupper ends to said b'raeketenns, a -roller journaled at its ends on the lower ends of said depending urine and extending along the front of the platen v above the printing line, and a spring 'cons'pondin'g roller-carryingerni 'to press said roller against the work1p1'ece'on the platen. 10. In a fro'nt -str'i'ke'ty'peWr-Iti'ng machine,

" the combination with a reveluhle pi eten and e pletendrame havin ends in Whieh the p'liitenis joni-naled, it paper-linger rod tending between the ends 'Of the plated frame -'above and t0 the reel of the platen, and paper-lingers mou ted on said rod to be adjustable along the platen, of a detaehehle device for helding a. card en'othe-r Workpiece to the platen between land 'i'ndepend ently of: the a'ape'f-finge'rs, said device com prising a ffranie including bracket-arms extending from front to ieei above the platen inwardly from the aper-fingers when the latter ei'e Adjusted 'a'djticent the ends of the platenfa transverse bat rigidly connected at its ends to the b'neket-arms to form a part 03? said 'ffaine, said bracket-arm's at their reai ends bein' gjprovided with hooks to engage QVe'i' said paper-finger rod, "on-t ing"rolleiv ceiiying einie pivoted at theirukp per ends to said bracket-m nis, a roller jeii'ineled at its ends on the lower ends f said depending arms and extending along the firm-1e line a spring Connected to each 'bi'aeket-eiin and the Corresponding r'oller-earrying eim to press said 'i'oll er" against the Workpiece on the jpla-ten, and an ei'esi-ng shield at therear 0i? and eheve sniid i'elle'i" efitendi-ii'g along "Ch'etep effthe .pliften and at its end :pr'ovide'd with-arms ,iormin'g afba'il, said hail-aims being Connected with said .rellei eerr'ying arms te' swing therex' fith as said roller is swung towards 01 may from "the platen, said erasing shieldserving as a fingerpieee foi' swinging said roller.

ALFRED G. lK URO WSK E.

Witnesses-z Memoir R. ;MCCAFFREY, CATHERINE A. NEWELL.

U116 pletenebeve the rinting 

